The American University Programme

The United States dominates the list of the world's Top 100 universities. Without a doubt, the US has one of the finest university systems in the world, with outstanding programs in virtually every field. An American degree is regarded as a symbol of excellence worldwide. Therefore, it is hardly a surprise that over one third of the 1.2 million undergraduates studying outside their home countries are furthering their education in the United States.

The American Degree Transfer Program, also known as American University Program (AUP) in INTI International College Penang, is in reality a credit transfer program for those seeking to complete their studies in the United States in fields such as engineering, business, actuarial science, mass communication, applied sciences, computer science and liberal arts to name a few. The AUP program will offer two years of education at INTI International College Penang, while the remaining two years would be completed in universities across the United States as well as Canada.

Wong Kar Wai, 19, is an AUP student at INTI Penang

1. So, you're in the American Degree Transfer Programme. Tell us a little about yourself.

My name is Kar Wai and I'm 19. I enrolled in ADTP or AUP (American University Program) in Inti International College Penang last year for the April Semester. I enrolled AUP because I wanted to further my studies in the US. It has been my dream to study in the States ever since I was little. However, due to financial restriction, my family could not afford me to study in the US for full 4 years. Luckily for me, Inti offered a program which allows student to study 2 years in Penang and 2 years in the States. No doubt it is American University Program. AUP and ADTP are just different names, but the course is the same.

2. How does it work? The course structure I mean.It's actually 70% based on coursework and 30% based on the final exam. The coursework may consists of quizzes, tests, assignments and presentations. its not as easy as it looks like as you have to score high marks in everyone of them just to get a chance to score at least an A- in your final grade. You take the subjects according to your desire major. Of course, during the first 2 years, you still can choose what major you want. Besides, you can choose to either study here for 1 year and study in the States for 3 years or study here for 2 years and 2 years in the States. It all depends on yourself and the credit hours required by your desired uni.

An AUP lecture class at INTI Penang

3. How is this course different compared to the other university courses in Malaysia?

I am not too sure about the Malaysia universities course structure but I am pretty sure that the syllabus we are studying is way harder and the grading scale is high. To archive an A-, you would have to score at least 85. In my opinion, I think that local universities course structure are more focused on exams rather than course works.

4. But I'm not a really smart person academicallyWell, don't worry, you can choose to major in business or mass com which is relatively easier than fields like engineering. This is due to the fact that you don't need to take the so-called difficult subs such as calculus 1-3 and the science subs. It is also easier to be admitted by universities in the US and they do not require a high CGPA. Eg, certain unis only require a minimum of 2.0 CGPA.

5. What is this credits system? Is it like credit card points?Certain subjects are credit transferable to US unis while some can not be transferred. IIt depends on the subjects you are taking and the unis you applied to.

7. What is this major and minor system?You don't major or minor in a degree. You get a degree with a major in a particular subject. You may have a minor in a different subject. Your major is the subject in which you specialize. You will probably take about 25 or more credit hours in your major and will have to take certain courses required by your major department. You don't have to take so many courses in a minor.You can get a job based on either your major or your minor. Having the major or minor in a subject demonstrates that you have a certain degree of knowledge of that subject.

8. Awesome! Do you get to go overseas to study?Yes. In inti AUP, they have partner universities in the states. Most of the students who applied to those unis will most probably be accepted.

9. But what if I don't have enough money to finance my education in America?Study hard, achieve good results and apply for the scholarships.

10. Do I need to take any extra exams to apply overseas?You will have to take TOEFL, which is a language proficiency test. Every universities in the States require international students from countries whose mother tongue isn't English to take this test. Should you wanna apply for top universities, you would have to take SAT. Certain unis require applicants to take SAT.

11. I think I am interested, how do I enrol?

Just go to the college which offers this program and enrol. Sunway, Taylors, INTI, KDU and Segi are among the colleges that do.